The North Ogden Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt a zoning-text amendment to define and permit cottage kitchens: small-scale, home-based preparation of certain non-potentially hazardous foods regulated by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF).

What was proposed: Staff presented draft language that would add a "cottage kitchen" definition and permit the use in specific residential zones if operators meet state food-production rules. Staff noted the state already codifies cottage-food operations, including labeling, permitted products, and inspection criteria; the proposed municipal amendment would add a local business-license requirement and identify which residential zones could host cottage kitchens.

Support from a proponent: Theresa Kessinger, who addressed the commission, said UDAF rules are strict, prohibit potentially hazardous foods (e.g., certain refrigerated products) and require recipe and label review and state inspections. She described the cottage-kitchen model as a way for small producers to sell specialty baked goods and allergy-friendly items to Utah customers while complying with existing state regulations.

Commission action: After questions about signage, sales-tax registration and enforcement, a commissioner moved and the body voted unanimously to forward the ordinance language to city council for formal consideration. Staff will return a revised ordinance reflecting the commission27s input and standard permit/business-license checks.

Why it matters: Cottage-kitchen regulations give residents a legal, regulated pathway to sell low-risk food made at home while ensuring the city has the licensing information needed for tax and consumer-protection review. The amendment leaves food-safety oversight for commercial-scale concerns to state or commercial-hood requirements and relies on UDAF for health inspection and product rules.

Next steps: Staff will draft formal ordinance language and a business-license checklist tied to UDAF compliance for city-council consideration.

Provenance: Staff presentation and definition discussion (Ryan Nunn, 04:30:00); public proponent (Theresa Kessinger, 04:40:00); commission motion and unanimous vote to recommend to council (00:??:?? meeting record).